Catherine Zeta-Jones has been treated for manic depression over the stress of her husband Michael Douglas’s battle against cancer.

The 41-year-old actress was admitted last Wednesday to the Silver Hill psychiatric hospital, where she reportedly shared a ward with alcoholics and drug addicts.

She stayed for five days, joining 10 to 15 others in the £770-a-day detox centre at the hospital in New Canaan, Connecticut.

Treatment: Catherine, pictured here with her husband last month, has been treated for bipolar II disorder

Her publicist confirmed that she had received mental health treatment to help her cope with her traumatic personal life.

‘After dealing with the stress of the past year, Catherine made the
decision to check into a mental health facility for a brief stay to
treat her bipolar II disorder,’ she said.

‘She’s feeling great and looking forward to starting work this week on two upcoming films.’

Facility: The actress spent five days at the Silver Hill Hospital near New Canaan, Connecticut

Douglas, with whom she has two young children,
last year battled stage four throat cancer, enduring both chemotherapy and
radiation.

Catherine showed signs that she was struggling to cope with her emotions when she broke down in public last September at the Ryder Cup Welcome To Wales concert at Cardiff Millennium Stadium.

Catherine had been booked months before her husband fell ill to speak at the event and had to go to the event solo as he was treated back in New York.

But the strain was too much for her and she broke down when talking about him in her native Wales in front of the 13,000 strong audience.

Difficult time: Douglas picked up supplies in New York City yesterday

WHAT IS BIPOLAR II?

A traumatic event can sometimes cause symptoms of the mood-altering illness.

Experts say patients experience both elevated moods - which may lead to bouts of increased activity - as well as episodes of depression.

Unlike bipolar I, the 'up' moods do not reach full-on levels of mania.

Rather than descending into deep depressions, patients can be very outgoing, functional and often more productive than normal, one reason why it often goes undiagnosed.

People in a hypomanic state also often have a decreased need for sleep. They are also said to be at a higher risk of committing suicide.

Celebrities who have reportedly battled various forms of bipolar
disorder have included Britney Spears, Stephen Fry and Charlie Sheen.

It is treatable with medication.

Dr Michael Roizen, America’s first Chief Wellness Officer, claims genetics can also be a factor.

‘If one or more of your parents has the mood disorder, you are more likely to develop bipolar disorder.

‘Other contributing factors include stress, illness, death, or a job loss. Also, researchers believe that bipolar disorder may be caused in part by an imbalance in any or all of the brain chemicals norepinephrine, serotonin, and dopamine.’

‘Sometimes a traumatic event that causes a lot of stress can cause bipolar II disorder to develop. Other possible causes include an abnormal amount of hormones and drug use,’ added a spokeswoman for the US Honour Society of Nursing.

The 66-year-old, who was today seen shopping for groceries in New York,
announced in January that doctors had declared him free of cancer
following six months of gruelling treatment.

The actor accompanied his ‘emotionally distraught’ wife as she
checked into the hospital under the name Terrie Kirny, the National
Enquirer magazine claimed.

A witness at the hospital told the magazine that the Welsh-born
actress, who was made a CBE in February, appeared ‘happy’ during her
stay.

She apparently joined fellow guests for meals, jogs around the grounds and even poker sessions before bed.

Miss Zeta-Jones often appeared to be on edge in public during Douglas’s treatment for throat cancer.

She was close to tears at New York’s John F Kennedy airport after
she reportedly cut short a visit to the UK when her husband’s
conditioned worsened.

In February, she flew into a rage at a photographer in London,
claiming he hit her as she and Douglas returned to their hotel after
dinner.

The Enquirer also quoted an observer who said she had ‘really put the
red wine away’ during two recent visits with Douglas to a Manhattan
restaurant.

Miss Zeta-Jones claimed in 2004 that a stalker’s threats against her
left her so shaken that she feared she would have a nervous breakdown.

The Enquirer quotes a family source as saying: ‘It’s been the most
difficult year of her life. She’s been through hell! The pressure has
been almost unbearable.’

Claiming that the actress had suffered ‘more sleepless nights than
you could possibly know’ worrying about her husband, the source added:
‘Catherine had a lot of trouble coping. She was chain-smoking and
drinking.

‘It was tearing Catherine apart to see such a vital man as Michael in such a weakened state. I think she was crumbling.’

Miss Zeta-Jones said as much in an interview last September in which
she spoke of the pain of watching her husband dealing with cancer and
her ‘fury’ that doctors did not spot it earlier.

The couple’s stress levels will not have been helped by moves this
week by Douglas’s first wife, Diandra, to revive her court battle for a
share of his Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps earnings.

Her camp pressed a judge to reconsider his view that the
case belongs in California. The couple divorced there in 2000 after 23
years together.

His lawyer said her client's ex 'should be ashamed of herself' for
seeking more when she had already received more than $51 million in
their divorce settlement.

Douglas' adult son Cameron, from his marriage to Diandra, was sentenced to prison last year on drug charges.

Zeta-Jones and Douglas are parents to son Dylan, 10, and daughter Carys, who turns eight on April 20.

The
actress' upcoming film projects include Playing the Field, a comedy
starring Gerard Butler, Dennis Quaid Jessica Biel, and Dali, a biopic
with Antonio Banderas.

Family time: Catherine and Michael with their children Dylan and Carys at Disneyland in November